Georgia Magazine - December 2020 - 29

Learn about Victorian Christmas
traditions from docents dressed
in their finest 1870s garb at
Hardman Farm State Historic
Site in Sautee Nacoochee.

says. " They all design their own displays and themes, which
make up the whole drive-through experience. "
Vogel State Park in Blairsville celebrates the season
on Dec. 12 with a tree-lighting ceremony that is now in its
17th year.
" The glow of the lights is magical when the tree is finally lit
as families sing carols in unison around a fire, " Assistant Park
Manager Mikayla Murphy says.
The no-fee event is a family favorite that also includes
hayrides, music and other holiday activities.
This year, the Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation State
Historic Site in Brunswick marks its 40th year of bringing to
life a Hofwyl Plantation Christmas. Taking place on Dec. 5, the

GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

In addition to enjoying the
holiday festivities at Georgia's
state parks, visitors can take
in the natural surroundings
and breathtaking views, such
as this one at Tallulah Gorge
State Park in Tallulah Falls.

GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES

Vogel State Park is
celebrating its 17th annual
tree-lighting ceremony
this year.

Georgia's merriest park
It may be known as one of the finest bass-fishing spots in the
nation, but Appling's Mistletoe State Park appeals to those who love
Christmas for another reason: its merry moniker.
The park on 72,100-acre Clarks Hill Lake takes its name from
Mistletoe Corners in unincorporated Columbia County. According to
one legend, it was here that folks would gather and pick the plant-
famous for the Christmastime custom of kissing beneath it-during
the winter holidays.
No one actually knows who named the community or why.
Trevor Bullard, manager of Mistletoe State Park, references a
March 15, 1970, article in The Atlanta Journal and Constitution about
the community, the new park and the mystery surrounding its name.
" Unlike most of our other state parks that have a rich history
behind their name, there is only one mention referencing the naming
of 'Mistletoe,' " he says. " The article mentions [that] no one knows who
named the community, and this is the only reference I have ever seen
to the history of the park name. "
Back in the day-before the post office was discontinued in the
early 1920s, according to the article-Mistletoe Corners was a thriving
community with a cotton gin, country store and school.
" It had six grades, all in one room. There were 30 to 40 pupils ages
6 to 20, " Oscar Bullard had said at the time.
Bullard, the great-grandfather of Trevor Bullard, was born in 1895
and was one of Mistletoe Corners' oldest residents when the article
was published.
Mistletoe State Park was supposed to open that summer in 1970,
and Roger Bennett, then the park superintendent, was quoted as saying that " wherever camping spots are cleared, a beach or bathhouse
built, a new road cut, there are signs of the old community. "
These days, Mistletoe visitors find lakeside cottages and cabins, a
campground situated on a peninsula, photo-worthy views of the sun
rising and setting over the water and lots of activities, including canoeing and kayaking, hiking, biking, birding, fishing and geocaching.

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Georgia Magazine - December 2020

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